Corrugated covers for reciprocating machinery parts

ABSTRACT

For use in a corrugated cover, a section which includes a corrugated body portion and extension control means contained in the corrugated body portion, the extension control means comprising a plurality of hingedly connected flat metal strips.

United States Patent [191 Knowles Jan. 29, 1974 CORRUGATED COVERS FOR RECIPROCATING MACHINERY PARTS [75] Inventor: Peter M. Knowles, Datum, England [73] Assignee: Henry Beakbane (Fortox) Limited,

Kidderminster, England [22] Filed: Feb. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 222,591

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 7,519, Feb. 2, 1970, I

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 160/84 R, 308/35 [51] Int. Cl A47h 5/00 [58] Field of Search 160/202, 84; 308/35 [56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,053,318 9/1962 Artrnan 160/231 R Kuyper 160/231 A Milani 160/231 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 1,808,334 12/1968 Germany' U 308/35 Primary Examiner-Peter M. Caun Attorney, Agent, or FirmGeorge V. Woodling et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT For use in a corrugated cover, a section which includes a corrugated body portion and extension control means contained in the corrugated body portion, the extension control means comprising a plurality of hingedly connected flat metal strips,

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 29 19m sum 1 [IF 3 CORRUGATED COVERS FOR RECIPROCATING MACHINERY PARTS This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 7,519, filed Feb. 2, 1970, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to corrugated covers for protecting reciprocating parts of machinery.

2. Description of the Prior Art In previous forms of corrugated covers having extension control means including hingedly connected metal strips there has been a tendency for the metal strips to move into over-dead-centre positions after the corrugated cover has been fully extended so that upon contraction of the cover the extension control means has not always returned to its initial state.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means whereby the strips of the extension control means are biased towards their initial contracted orientation thus preventing damage to the strips and preventing the strips from damaging the cover.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The extension control means comprises a plurality of flat metal strips connected by hinge means comprising laminates of a resiliently flexible plastic material. Adjacent strips are inclined in the contracted state of the section in opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis of the section, and at least each alternate hinge means is constructed such as to provide means biassing said strips towards the positions which they adopt when the section is contracted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 4 are partly diagrammatic underneath perspective views of sections of corrugated covers containing different forms of extension control means.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of extension control means similar to that shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the extension control means shown in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from above, and partly broken, of a corrugated cover fitted to a machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 7 which illustrates the manner in which a corrugated cover, having extension control means, is fitted to a machine. In FIG. 7, 50 represents the stationary slideway of a machine and 51 represents the machine table which, in use, reciprocates along slideway 50 and the corrugated cover, indicated generally by reference 52, protects the slideway 50. The cover 52 is made up from a number of corrugated sections 53 (four sections are shown) and the two centre sections extend between, and are connected to, end plates 10 which have downwardly extending legs 11. At one end of the cover the end section 53 is connected to an end plate 10A which is fixed to the slideway 50 and at the other end of the cover the end section is connected to an end plate 108 similar to one of the end plates 10 and this is connected to the moveable table 51.

Capping strips 54, each of channel section, engage over the edges of the end plates 10 and the adjacent ends of the sections 53 and these capping strips extend across the top and down the vertical sides of the cover. Each of the end plates 10 is fitted with glide pieces 55 which engage slideably with the faces of the slideway 50 as the cover expands and contracts during operation of the machine table 51.

The extension control means for each section, indicated generally by reference numeral 56, extends between tabs 57 on the end plates to which it is riveted at 58. A more detailed description of different forms of extension control means is now given with reference to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings. It will be appreciated that each of FIGS. 1 to 4 is an inverted underneath perspective view of a section of corrugated cover (i.e., if the FIGS. 1-4 are inverted, one is looking upwards from underneath the cover of FIG. 7) and is shown in this manner to illustrate the extension control means clearly, the corrugations and the details of the end plates being omitted for clarity and being indicated only in outline by the chain-dotted lines.

FIGS. 1 to 4 each show a section, including a pair of metal end plates 10 inter-connected by a corrugated portion which is contained within the chain-dotted lines between the end plates. Each end plate 10 includes a pair of legs 11 which, in use, are disposed vertically, and a base 12 which, in use, is disposed horizontally so as to overlie the bed, track or slideway on which runs a reciprocating part, such as a table, of a machine tool or the like. Each of the end plates 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has, on the centre line 14 of the section, a metal tab (such as tab 57 in FIG. 7) to which is riveted a rectangular laminate 13a, 13b of a hardened plastic material such as a thermoplastic or thermosetting material, and nylon has been found satisfactory. In the arrangement of FIG. 1 each of the laminates 13a and b is riveted to an elongated flat metal strip 15a, 15b projecting to one side of said centre line 14 with the flat faces thereof normal to the plane containing said centre line 14 and in which a point of a strip moves during expansion or contraction of the section. Each of these two strips 15a and 15b is riveted, at its other end and on the opposite side thereof to that on which the rectangular laminate 13a, 13b connecting it to the end plate 10 is fixed, to a further rectangular laminate 16a, 16b bent to form two portions extending at approximately 30 to each other in the contracted state of the section. Such further laminates 16a and 16b are again of nylon and they are riveted each to one end of a further metal strip 17a, 17b which extends across the centre line 14 of the section with the other ends of said further strips 17a and 17b interconnected by a hinge means consisting of a laminate l8 bent to form two portions at 30 to each other and riveted to the two further strips 17a and 17b.

The extension control means thus consists of two metal strips 15a and 15b extending to one side of the centre line 14 of the section the two further metal strips 17a and 17b each approximately twice as long as the other strips 15a and 15b and extending across the centre line 14 of the section whereby the control means is of substantially M-form.

When the corrugated cover comprising a plurality of such sections is extended the four metal strips 15a, 15b, 17a, 17b, hinge relative to each other by means of the flexible hinge means constituted by the nylon laminates 13a, 13b, 16a, 16b and 18 into a position in which, when the section is fully extended, the four strips are in alignment or approach a condition in which they are almost in alignment.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 the control means consists of three flat metal strips 19, 20 and 21 hingedly connected to each other by means of flexible laminates 22 and 23 of nylon as described above and the two end strips are connected by the flexible hinge means to the metal tabs (not shown) on the end plates on the centre line of the section. The two end strips 19 and 21 of the control means extend on opposite sides of the centre line 14 of the section and the middle strip extends across the centre line. When the section is fully extended the three strips 19, 20 and 21 move into alignment or substantial alignment on the centre line of the section.

In both forms of control means as described above each flexible hinge means between the strips consists of a single laminate riveted to both of the strips to be connected; the hinge means may instead consist of a pair of flexible laminates 24 and 25 as shown in FIG. 5 riveted together face to face and each riveted to one of the strips to be connected. The rivet means 26 connecting the laminates 24 and 25 to each other will then be disposed on the side of the adjacent ends of the strips such as 17a and 17b remote from the centre line of the cover section so that, the double thickness laminate portion provides, when the control means is fully extended, biassing means tending to urge the strips into the positions which they adopt when the cover section is contracted. In this way over-dead-centre movement of the strips beyond the positions they adopt when in alignment is restrained. There is thus no tendency for the strips forming the control means to move into configuration other than those which they adopt in the contracted state of the section. This makes it less likely that the strips will become damaged or will damage the material of which the corrugated portion of the section is formed.

In both the forms of control means described above and shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the strips have been connected to the end plates 10 along the centre line of the cover so that they lie along said centre line when the section is fully extended. There are, however, some cases in which there is a restriction along such centre line, for example, the cover may be attached to a reciprocating part of a machine tool which moves along said centre line.

In such cases the alternative form of control means shown in FIG. 3 may be employed. This consists of a pair of strips 30a and 30b, 31a and 31b, one pair disposed at each side of the centre line 14. The strips of each pair are connected at their adjacent ends by flexible hinge means 32, 33 in the form of flexible laminates of for example, nylon, each hinge means 32, 33 consisting either of a single laminate (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6) or a pair of laminates riveted together face-to-face.

The other ends of the strips 30a, 30b, 31a and 31b are connected to tabs (not shown) formed integrally with or connected to the end plates 10 adjacent the sides thereof by means of flexible laminates 34, 35, 36 and 37 which are riveted to the tabs and to the ends of the strips.

In the contracted condition of the section of FIG. 3 the control means defines a pair of Vs each with its apex directed towards the centre line 14 of the section and spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to accommodate the machine part on the centre line 14.

When the section is fully extended the pair of strips at each side of the section move into positions in which they are parallel with the centre line of the section. Where double thickness laminates are used then, by virtue of the additional biassing means afforded by such resilient hinge means, there will be no tendency for the strips to move beyond their dead-centre positions in which they are parallel to the centre line 14 so that there is no possibility of their causing damage to the material of which the corrugated portion of the section is formed.

There may be cases in which the amount of restriction at the centre line of the section makes it impracticable for the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 to be used in that, with only two strips at each side of the section, the length of the section in its extended condition cannot be more than the internal width of the section less the width of the restriction.

To allow for a standard length of section to be used when the dimension obtained by subtracting the width of the restriction from the internal width of the section is less than the standard section extended length, the control means shown in FIG. 4 may be used and in this case the control means at each side of the centre line 14 is in the form ofa W as opposed to a V and consists of four metal strips 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 41a, 41b, 41c, and 41d. The end strips 40a, 40d, 41a and 41d are connected to tabs formed integrally with or connected to the end plates 10 of the section by flexible hinge means as described above and the hinge means between the two intermediate strips is preferably constituted by a pair of laminates 24 and 25 as shown in FIG. 5, the laminates 24 and 25 being riveted together and to the intermediate strips such as 40b and 40C. Alternatively the intermediate strips 40b and 400 may be connected together by single thickness laminates as shown in FIG. 4. The end strips and the intermediate strips are interconnected by flexible hinge means constituted by a single laminate such as 42a and 42b which inter-connect the strips 400 and 40b and 40c and 40d respectively.

A corrugated cover may be built up of a plurality of inter-connected sections each of which includes any one of the control means described above. To facilitate understanding and interpretation of the following claims, the expression plane of reciprocation is used to define a plane which contains the outer, longitudinally extending edges of the corrugations of the cover. Thus, in the example of FIG. 7 the plane of reciprocation is a horizontal plane containing the top edges of the corrugations.

I claim:

1. A corrugated extensible and contractable cover for protecting reciprocating parts of machinery, one end of such cover being connected to a stationary part of a machine and the other end being connected to a movable part which reciprocates relatively to the stationary part; said cover comprising at least one corrugated cover section, each end of which is connected to a flat end plate extending in a plane at right angles to the plane of reciprocation, extension control means, extending between said end plates, comprising a plurality of flat elongated metal strips extending with their flat faces in planes which are normal to the plane of reciprocation, and hinge means comprising flat laminates of a resiliently flexible plastics material, extending with their flat faces in planes normal to the plane of reciproeach hinge means consists of a rectangular laminate cation connecting said strips to each other in end to riveted adjacent its one end to one strip and riveted adend relationship and to the end plates for relative angujacent its opposite end to an adjacent strip. lar movement about axes normal to the plane of recip- 3. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein rocation, adjacent metal strips being inclined, in the 5 said laminates are made of nylon. contracted state of the section, in opposite directions 4. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein relative to the longitudinal axis of the section and the each hinge means consists of a pair of rectangular lamihinge means being constructed such as to provide nates riveted face-to-face adjacent one end of each means biasing said metal strips towards the positions laminate and each riveted adjacent its opposite end to which they adopt when the section is contracted. 10 one of the strips to be connected.

2. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein 

1. A corrugated extensible and contractable cover for protecting reciprocating parts of machinery, one end of such cover being connected to a stationary part of a machine and the other end being connected to a movable part which reciprocates relatively to the stationary part; said cover comprising at least one corrugated cover section, each end of which is connected to a flat end plate extending in a plane at right angles to the plane of reciprocation, extension control means, extending between said end plates, comprising a plurality of flat elongated metal strips extending with their flat faces in planes which are normal to the plane of reciprocation, and hinge means comprising flat laminates of a resiliently flexible plastics material, extending with their flat faces in planes normal to the plane of reciprocation connecting said strips to each other in end to end relationship and to the end plates for relative angular movement about axes normal to the plane of reciprocation, adjacent metal strips being inclined, in the contracted state of the section, in opposite directions relative to the longitudinal axis of the section and the hinge means being constructed such as to provide means biasing said metal strips towards the positions which they adopt when the section is contracted.
 2. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein each hinge means consists of a rectangular laminate riveted adjacent its one end to one strip and riveted adjacent its opposite end to an adjacent strip.
 3. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein said laminates are made of nylon.
 4. A corrugated cover according to claim 1 wherein each hinge means consists of a pair of rectangular laminates riveted face-to-face adjacent one end of each laminate and each riveted adjacent its opposite end to one of the strips to be connected. 